Philosophical Dialogues, Is a Just Society Possible?, Hunter and Bain, Jake Jackson, The Point of Talking.

Dialogues | What is the Point of Talking?

Hunter and Bain sit exhausted in the cafe. Idly they watch the sun drizzle through the leaves of the interplanetary nature reserve on an asteroid close to Barnard’s Star. They arrived an hour ago but hardly a word passed between them, just the usual nods of familiarity as they consume their coffee and rest from their tasks. A stretch of water tumbles close by, running, excited, down a short cliff edge to a wide pool below where groups of people gather to wash their faces and arms in the sun.

The time does not matter, nor the year.

Bain: Do we need to talk?

Hunter: I don’t think so.

Bain: But we always do, in the end.

Hunter: That’s usually because you can’t restrain yourself.

Bain: So if I didn’t say anything, you wouldn’t either.

Hunter: Well, only if I had something to say, or instruct.

Bain: Haha. Yes, instruct. Perhaps you need a submissive android as a companion.

Hunter: I did once. Not entirely satisfactory.

Bain: Really!?

Hunter: It surprised me to find I missed the extra-curricula chat I saw in others.

Bain: You’re trying to be rational about it.

Hunter: Of course. If I had a real choice I would proceed in silence at all times.

Bain: But that’s because of what you are.

Hunter: The same can be said of most people, or beings. What we are drives our motivations and actions. Robots only talk when they need to learn something, or pass information.

Bain: So talk is a broad term. Perhaps you’re referring to idle chatter!

Hunter: Well, you said it, not me!

Bain: But what you might think of as idle might be essential to some people.

Hunter: Perhaps. It depends what’s going on in their heads.

Bain: How so?

Hunter: Some people seem to prefer to think before speaking, so dam up their thoughts and release them at the appropriate moment, as far as they’re concerned. While others operate an open door, with thoughts spilling out as as soon as they occur.

Bain: Does the difference matter?

Hunter: I don’t think so. As long as personal preference is generally respected.

Bain: Yes. You’ll notice I didn’t speak for almost an hour when we arrived.

Hunter: I did. And was grateful for it.

Bain: Grateful? Am I irritating then?

Hunter: Not exactly, as I said, the robot didn’t work out.

Bain: So you’re learning from me. I suppose that’s good.

Hunter: Well, the fact of you speaking is not the good thing, or even what you say, but the fact of your talking is helpful. I can see the need in others we meet, so I’ve learnt to adjust.

Bain, laughing: You’re more relaxed than when I first met you. When first you dragged me through the meta-universe and landed somewhere populated your instinct always was to walk through people, just to get on with your task.

Hunter: Sometimes it works.

Bain: But more often it’s better to find out what’s going on before marching in.

Hunter: I understand why you say that, and I’ve seen you perform that trick of courtesy and charm. I can’t do it, I don’t sound like I mean it, so I leave it to you.

Bain: Certainly it causes less trouble.

Hunter: As you know, I don’t mind the trouble so much.

Bain: Except it delays you.

Hunter: That’s true.

Bain: So the talking is a productive means to an end.

Hunter: Certainly.

Bain: Except I enjoy the chat.

Hunter: Yes, I see that, so I leave it to you. I just don’t enjoy the exchange, I’m too impatient.

Bain: It’s because you lack empathy.

Hunter: Is that a criticism?

Bain: No, an observation. Without it you have no genuine interest in the person you’re talking to, and it becomes obvious to them so they become annoyed, and that’s what causes the delay.

Hunter: Yes, this talking just seems like the jabber of unlearned language, but I can see the results when you smile and talk nonsense about the weather, family. I’ve studied your methods and see you always pick something personal to talk about.

Bain: Do you regret not having this empathy?

Hunter. No. It doesn’t fit with my purpose.

Bain: But don’t you want to relax and talk about other things sometimes?

Hunter: Well, let’s say I wouldn’t choose to. When it happens I’m surprised to find it productive, if not always enjoyable.

Bain: Perhaps it’s a function of your lack of mortality.

Hunter: Certainly I don’t value the minutiae of lives in the way that those who live a standard lifespan do. I’ve seen so many people come and go, my brain is too full of faces, there’s no room for any more.

Bain: That’s bleak. It sets you apart.

Hunter: But I have no regrets.

Bain: Will I be the same?

Hunter: What do you mean?

Bain: Well, I travel with you, we slip in and out of the past, then hurtle off to the future. Both  of us.

Hunter: But you’re body is still decaying. It has it’s own lifespan. Mine was manifested and hasn’t changed since that point in the dirt of Ur.

Bain grimaced: Well, that’s cheered me up. Good talk!

Hunter: Now you’re trying to shame me into talking.

Bain smiled: No empathy, no shame either, I know that. As always you’re unaffected by discussion. You seem able to assimilate information, and consequences, without the weight of regret, or joy even.

Hunter: But there is joy all around us, I see it in the people below, the preservation of these trees.

Bain: But you’re making a value judgement, without wishing to talk about it.

Hunter: Yes, I suppose so. A good talker needs willing listeners, or others participating in the same way. Perhaps it’s a habit.

Bain:  In your case, these talks over coffee have become a habit. For me it’s a need, to share and discuss. Your responses are mainly rational, occasionally indulgent.

Hunter: Indeed.

Bain: There you go.

Bain’s leg swings over the side of his chair and flicks like a cat’s tail. His face is pinched and agitated as he avoids Hunter’s eyes. The sounds of the chattering water below, mingles with the children laughing, and the occasional interruption of older voices. Even Hunter seems alert to the noises but his eyes are closed and he seems engaged with something else altogether.

Links